The Curious Case of Kiel’s College Degree

After taking spring and summer semester off, I am finally heading back to school. Woo hoo!

Most of you know that I’ve been in school forever, or at least it seems like forever. After graduating from high school in 2001, I took a year off and started attending Ivy Tech in 2002, that was seven years ago.

I started out wanting to be a journalism major, but began to see the decline of the daily newspaper. Even though online news started to become popular, I felt more called to the ministry. So I began attending Crossroads Bible College on the east side of Indianapolis sometime in 2004 or 2005 (I can’t remember).

Earning my degree hasn’t come easily. I started out with great motivation, then my motivation waned, and then I began working full-time. While I enjoy learning, I like learning in little chunks, which is another reason its been taking so long. Instead of trying to prepare for five classes or more, I enjoyed the pace of having two or three classes at a time.

If I had to do it over again, I probably would have pushed through and finished in quicker time. But I’ve learned to be thankful for what God has done and what He will do. Has it taken a while to get my degree? Absolutely. Through that time, however, I’ve grown, struggled, gone through ups and downs. In short, I’ve developed into the person I am today. If school has taught me anything, it has taught me not to let things linger too long… to push through and get things done.

For the first time in a long time, I’m actually looking forward to going back to school. The east side has become a second home to me, a place I’ve become fond of. I love working with the kids at Shepherd Community Center, I love sitting by the drafty windows at Lazy Daze in the winter and write, I love grabbing dinner at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant called The Patio.

What’s my motivation to finish this time? First off, I’m so close! I have less than nine classes to complete. Second reason? My friends have promised me a graduation party! I’ve never had one, not for high school. For the first time in a while, I am thankful that I have friends that want to do that for me.

So I’m heading to school this week to register and looking forward to pushing through and getting it done. I’m so thankful for my friends and family who have been so supportive and I’m thankful for my college. I have spent the last several months completing my "To-Do List for 2009," I’m hoping that 2010 will find me with a Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Education (focusing on Pastoral Ministry). I’m ready, let’s do this!